Googie’s

Readers who read the story about Googie’s (Times, June 9) might be interested in knowing about the origins of both the name and the restaurant.

My mother’s sister, Lillian, although she was graduated from medical school and law school, through her lifetime carried the nickname “Googie”; this questionable gift was bestowed by her father (my grandfather) who also gave his other daughters affectionate monikers such as “Policeman,” “Rabbit,” “Snowflake” and “Tookie”--this last went to my mother, the youngest of the sisters.

Lillian’s husband, Mortimer C. Burton, previously had restaurants in many locations, including the successful but rather staid Burton’s on La Cienega, during the height of the Restaurant Row era.

Googie’s was his last creation, however, and together he and Aunt Lil made it a favored hanging-out place for Hollywood writers and performers. In spite of the garish exterior it was warm inside, and I’ve met many actors who remember, from leaner times, a free cup of coffee from Googie.

PETER MATZ

Los Angeles